The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Marguerite Daisy plant, botanically known as Argyranthemum frutescens and referred to by the cultivar name Lemon Delight.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Emerald, Victoris, Australia. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new Marguerite Daisies that are heat-tolerant.
The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1994 of the Argyranthemum frutescens cultivar Frosty, not patented, as the male or pollen parent, with the Argyranthemum frutescens cultivar Harvest Snow, not patented, as the female or seed parent. The cultivar Lemon Delight was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Emerald, Victoria, Australia.
Plants of the new Marguerite Daisy are different from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Frosty, in growth habit, inflorescence color and size and tolerance to high temperatures and humidity.
Plants of the new Marguerite Daisy are different from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Harvest Snow, in growth habit, leaf color and size, and inflorescence color and size.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in Emerald, Victoria, Australia, has shown that the unique features of this new Marguerite Daisy are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive propagations.